El Jefe Balances the Books in 2-1 Win Over Hooligans
On a chilly, cloudy morning on the high plains of NEMP, Cameron Road battled a pesky opponent but came out on top to keep their winning streak alive as they beat the Hooligans 2-1.
With several players injured and out of action (Chappy, Peterson), several players injured but giving it a go (Luke, BT), El Jefe just returning from ankle surgery, and everybody else pretty much sporting some sort of SXSW induced fatigue… Cameron Road sucked up the pressure of a powerful Hooligan midfield to earn another 3 points.
As game time approached, it was looking bleak for Cameron Road to field a full eleven. But with seconds to spare, the weary band of brothers appeared over the horizon to flush out the squad. Andy literally ran onto the field pulling on his jersey (backwards at first) as the game started. Since Jay was out moonlighting with his other squad, Luke again stepped up to the plate to man the pipes, earning the first badger paw of the game.
Cameron Road was shaking off the evening’s festivities during the first 15 minutes of the game. The passing game was a little off and the Hooligans were playing up to their namesake with a physical, touchy style of play. Although they didn’t trouble Luke often, their midfield was crowding things up.
Although neither team seemed to settle down, it was Cameron Road who struck first with an excellent bit of soccer starting down the left hand side. Peyton released Adam down the touchline and he managed to find Andy with a nice cross inside the box. In good position, Andy showed the confidence of the team’s top goal scorer by cooly slotting the ball into the back of the net for the opening goal of the game.
With that lead, Cameron Road finally established a bit of momentum. And to boost the morale, Cuyler showed up and stepped right into the back line, which was busy turning away a few Hooligan attacks. One memorable one saw Crosley with a fantastic slide tackle inside the box to deny a goal scoring opportunity.
With a brilliant tactical substitution, Adam subbed himself out for the resting El Jefe. Within minutes, a play developed with Gianluca playing the ball to Andy, who found Jeff on the right side of the box. With a cool, but emphatic, left-footed finish, El Jefe sent the ball soaring into the top of the net and doubled the Honey Badger lead. His recently repaired ankle seems to be a-okay.
The Hooligans did manage to pull one back with a pretty nice free kick from just outside the box just before the half.
To add to his day of glory, Jeff showered the team with oranges at halftime. Quality.
The second half remained scoreless to the end, but it wasn’t without it’s moments. Andy, in typical Andy style, absolutely battered the keeper going for a ball. Adam spent some quality time with the Hooligan’s keeper on two separate occasions, once even managing to poke the ball past the line (although not given). BT juked and jived his way through the Hooligan defense. Billy had a pair of shots within minutes. Ciro and Willis took turns patrolling the midfield. Peyton and Crosley had solid games going the distance in defense. In other words, it was a total team effort.
So it ended up being just another day at the office for the Honey Badgers. Not injuries, hangovers or the despicable field conditions at NEMP could keep them from notching yet another victory. Next up, age old rivals Celtic Cowboys.
Man of the Match: El Jefe! Jeff finally got on the positive side of the score sheet with his game winner. And let’s not forget the oranges (especially because he won’t let me forget). Not bad for a guy with the early stages of a pretty nice mullet just back from ankle surgery.
Jay Gant Special Service Award: Luke earned another heavily gloved high five for stepping up and playing keeper.
